Austria's glaciers: Hope on thin ice?

DW (English)

Glaciologist Tobias Sauter has been monitoring climate change for decades — from Patagonia to the Himalayas. DW met the dedicated scientist immersed in mountain research.

Transcript

00:00Glaciers here in the Austrian Alps are disappearing rapidly, and with them a vital resource.

00:05High mountain regions like this act as water reservoirs,

00:09but glacial retreat and the melting of the snow cover is having dramatic consequences.

00:18We drilled in the pole four days ago,

00:20and now we're measuring the distance from the glacier surface to the mark on the pole.

00:25And it's almost 37 centimeters, which is a considerable amount in four days.

00:37Glacier melt is a global phenomenon, including in South America,

00:41where Tobias Sauter has been conducting research for 20 years.

00:46Heavy snowfall of up to 30 meters per year in the high mountain regions of Patagonia

00:51has so far meant that water scarcity is not an acute issue,

00:56partly because relatively few people live here.

00:59But even here, precise measurements provide valuable data for global climate projections

01:04and underpin international research.

01:09Tobias Sauter is a glaciologist, climatologist, and geographer at Humboldt University in Berlin.

01:15We join him on a mountain expedition to one of the most extensive glacier research sites in Europe.

01:24We have records of the Hintereisferne going back to the 1950s, which is a big exception.

01:29Only a small number of glaciers worldwide have monitoring records of 50, 60 or even 70 years,

01:35perhaps only 30 or 40.

01:37That's what makes the Hintereisferne so special.

01:39Signs along the trail mark the glacier's retreat,

01:44with dates showing how far the Hintereisferner once extended.

01:48This valley was once completely covered by snow and ice.

01:54So is this down to nature or an anthropogenic effect,

01:58meaning that we humans are responsible?

02:00The Glacier Space Project, a partnership between Humboldt University and Austria's University of Innsbruck,

02:09measures climatic changes directly on the glacier.

02:12An eight-meter-tall tower fitted with sensitive sensors records temperature, wind, and turbulence.

02:18The instruments show exactly how much ice melts and how quickly.

02:22When glaciers shrink, it affects the regional climate.

02:28And that's what interests us most.

02:30What happens as glaciers get smaller?

02:33Are there feedback effects that could accelerate melting even further?

02:40Come in, Alex. This is Toby.

02:43Yes, I can hear you.

02:45We're admiring your setup.

02:47The mast and the lidar.

02:49Really impressive.

02:50Thanks. Happy to hear it.

02:56I've always loved the mountains, through hiking and climbing.

03:00And now it's my profession.

03:02Not many people can say they've turned their hobby into a career.

03:07When I look at my office here, I can't imagine a better one.

03:12Standing on a glacier, taking measurements,

03:15generating new knowledge about a place that fascinates me.

03:17I think it's just wonderful.

03:26My motivation comes primarily from scientific curiosity.

03:32I also give talks to policy makers and other stakeholders,

03:36which allows me to convey the beauty of these places and spark interest.

03:39And I can also highlight the importance of taking action now,

03:44so that we can continue to enjoy these beautiful landscapes in the future.

03:51Do we need to turn the solar panels again?

03:56Yes, maybe a little more toward the west.

03:59Okay, see you in a minute.

04:00Glacier research is highly relevant.

04:15We use glaciers like the Hinter-Eis-Ferner as benchmarks.

04:19They're easy to access logistically.

04:21We can stay for weeks, rotate teams, and gather a large amount of new data.

04:29This is the tiny research base, 3,000 meters up,

04:33where the team cooks, sleeps, and works together.

04:36Alex and Eleanor are normally based in Berlin.

04:38They installed the monitoring tower together with their colleague Leo from Innsbruck.

04:43Onions, olives, capers.

04:47And right now they're teaming up to cook today's dinner, pasta.

04:53Our fresh supplies are slowly running out.

05:03Water is a key issue in our research group.

05:08We have several ongoing projects.

05:11One of them is here.

05:12This is basic research aimed at understanding how the processes work in this mountain region.

05:18And we also have projects in Costa Rica and Uzbekistan.

05:23There, the focus is on how we can develop adaptation strategies for the future,

05:27when water problems become even more extreme than they already are in some regions.

05:34What does glacier loss mean for water?

05:37Glaciers feed our rivers,

05:39but in many regions, peak water,

05:41the point at which their contribution is highest,

05:44has already passed.

05:45In the Alps, the flow of water is already far less.

05:49In the Himalayas, peak water is expected between 2040 and 2050.

05:54The consequences will be severe.

05:57Floods first, then droughts.

05:59Up to 90% of alpine ice could vanish by the end of the century.

06:08Even in the Himalayas, with its vast glacier fields, only around 60% may remain.

06:15Tobias Sauta doesn't just teach in lecture halls.

06:18He takes students on field trips from Berlin to the Oetztal Mountains in Austria.

06:24Lectures, discussions and practical exercises make it clear

06:28that the changes to the glaciers here are early warning signs of what is to come globally,

06:33especially if the 1.5 degree climate target is missed.

06:37When you talk to your fellow students about how hopeless and frustrating everything can feel,

06:48you also see a shared motivation.

06:51We all want to do something.

06:54That can be really encouraging, even if the numbers look bleak.

06:57It's not too late.

07:05We've probably already missed a 1.5 degree target.

07:09But there is still time to turn things around,

07:12to find ways of reducing emissions and stabilizing the climate,

07:16so that we'll still have our glaciers for a few more years.

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